Reuters AlertNet Lite - FACTBOX-Algerian violence death toll falls in July

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FACTBOX-Algerian violence death toll falls in July

04 Aug 2008 10:23:08 GMT
Source: Reuters

ALGIERS, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The death toll from political violence in Algeria fell to 9 in July from 27 in June, according to a Reuters count based on newspaper reports.

Among the dead were four members of government forces and one civilian. Three rebels were killed by security forces and a suicide bomber blew himself up in the north African OPEC member country last month.

Despite the decline in violence in July, a car bomb exploded on Aug. 3 near a police station in Tizi Ouzou town east of Algiers, wounding 25 people including four policemen.

Following are a few of the developments in July:

* On July 23, a suicide bomber on a motorbike attacked an army convoy, wounding at least 13 soldiers, near Lakhdaria village 60 km (37 miles) east of Algiers. Witnesses said the bomber slammed the bike into a military truck at 6:30 am local time, detonating the explosives and killing himself, not long after the convoy had left its barracks.

* On July 29, two guerrillas, Redouane Belouakene, 28, and Khaled Kebir, 25, were killed by the army in an ambush in the Berber district of Bouira, 110 km (70 miles) southeast of Algiers, El Watan reported.

* On about July 12, Djemaa Ali, alias Touhami, an al Qaeda leader in the Bordj Menaiel district east of Algiers, was killed by security services, Liberte newspaper said.

In other developments:

* In Washington, on July 17, the U.S. Treasury moved to freeze assets of four Algerians it said were leaders of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, naming them as Salah Gasmi, Yahia Djouadi, Ahmed Deghdegh, and Abid Hammadou. The move bans Americans from doing business with them and seeks to freeze any assets they might have under U.S. jurisdiction.

* On July 16, Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni estimated the number of remaining terrorists in Algeria still at large at between 300 to 400. He said this estimate included what he called support networks.

"Almost every day, people surrender or are captured or killed by the security services in clashes. I think that's proof that the terrorists are in difficulties," newspapers quoted Zerhouni as saying.

* On July 21 the press quoted National police chief Ali Tounsi as saying of the counter-terror effort: "We used to be in a defensive phase. From now on, we are on the offensive."

On Aug 3, speaking in the wake of the Tizi Ouzou bombing, Zerhouni said intelligence was key to defeating Islamist armed groups. He added: "We have penetrated them, and they know that we have penetrated them, and this is thanks to the work and professionalism of many people (in the security services)." (Compiled by Algiers bureau, editing by Matthew Tostevin)

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